Remember that idiot Ralph Nader who said during a recent presidential campaign there wasn’t a lick of difference between the Republicans and Democrats? This apparently resonated for just enough Democrats that they helped send George Bush to the White House and Al Gore into moviemaking. I knew at the time that Nader was a self-deluded egomaniac.
But this article by Chris Hedges about what he believes is impending war with Iran really brings the imbecility of Nader’s statement home (thanks to Billmon for featuring this at his blog):
The aircraft carrier Eisenhower, accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio, guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage, guided-missile destroyer USS Mason and the fast-attack submarine USS Newport News, is, as I write, making its way to the Straits of Hormuz off Iran. The ships will be in place to strike Iran by the end of the month. It may be a bluff. It may be a feint. It may be a simple show of American power. But I doubt it.
War with Iran — a war that would unleash an apocalyptic scenario in the Middle East — is probable by the end of the Bush administration. It could begin in as little as three weeks.
…This war will be different. It will be catastrophic.
…Those in Washington who advocate this war, knowing as little about the limitations and chaos of war as they do about the Middle East, believe they can hit about 1,000 sites inside Iran to wipe out nuclear production and cripple the 850,000-man Iranian army. The disaster in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli air campaign not only failed to break Hezbollah but united most Lebanese behind the militant group, is dismissed. These ideologues, after all, do not live in a reality-based universe. The massive Israeli bombing of Lebanon failed to pacify 4 million Lebanese. What will happen when we begin to pound a country of 70 million people? As retired General Wesley K. Clark and others have pointed out, once you begin an air campaign it is only a matter of time before you have to put troops on the ground or accept defeat, as the Israelis had to do in Lebanon. And if we begin dropping bunker busters, cruise missiles and iron fragmentation bombs on Iran this is the choice that must be faced — either sending American forces into Iran to fight a protracted and futile guerrilla war or walking away in humiliation.
No difference between the Republicans and Democrats. Yeah, right.
Anyone besides me appreciate the irony of sending an aircraft carrier named for Dwight Eisenhower to fight the next neocon military adventure? Ike was THE president who understood what it meant to send boys into battle to die; who understood and fought against military adventurism along with the military-industrial complex. I’m sure that the Eisenhower grandchildren are mortified about by this development.
Hedges points out that the country most likely, after the U.S. and Iran, to be most harmed by such a war would be Israel:
The country, however, that will pay the biggest price will be Israel. And the sad irony is that those planning this war think of themselves as allies of the Jewish state. A conflagration of this magnitude could see Israel drawn back in Lebanon and sucked into a regional war, one that would over time spell the final chapter in the Zionist experiment in the Middle East. The Israelis aptly call their nuclear program “the Samson option.” The Biblical Samson ripped down the pillars of the temple and killed everyone around him, along with himself.
…These may be some of the last few weeks or months in which to enjoy what is left of our beleaguered, dying republic and way of life.
Alarmist? Certainly. Overstated? Perhaps. Unbelievable? If you find this scenario entirely incredible you were probably one of the ones (as I was for a week or two) who believed George Bush when he said after the 200 election that he would “govern from the center.” We never thought to ask “from the center of what?” The center of the neocon universe would have been more accurate description of what actually happened.
My only hope is that we will come out to vote in our masses and send the Republicans packing in November. With a majority in at least one House of Congress, is it too much to ask–or dare I say expect–some level of spine and opposition to such war mania?
I also think that North Korea’s nuclear test complicates this scenario somewhat. Hopefully, someone in the White House is worried about taking on one wannabe nuclear power when another already has nukes and would love nothing more than to make mischief for us if we go to war against the wannabes. But no one ever went wrong overestimating George Bush’s willingness to plunge headfirst into the maelstrom.
I saw this a few days ago at Truthdig.com and left the following comment:
From NBC affiliate http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=5492934
“The ships will head to the Mediterranean Sea and eventually will relieve the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier U-S-S Enterprise strike group. The Enterprise is in the Arabian Sea supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
This indicates a normal deployment to relieve another group.
The Virginia Pilot reports the same:
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=112076&ran=121835&tref=y
I can only find one other commentator, Dave Lindorff of The Nation, ‘claiming’ this deployment is in preparation for action against Iran as opposed to the official line that the strike group is relieving the Enterprise to support action in Iraq and Afghanistan:
http://www.baltimorechronicle.com/2006/101006LINDORFF.shtml
I would be the last to be surprised at such a desperate move by Bush to influence the midterms although the prospect truly frightens me. I see one glimmer of possible hope. There are many signals over the past month and a half of a possible growing rift between the Pres and the civilian leadership on the one hand and the military leadership of the Pentagon on the other hand. Given the improbability of the US winning Iran without nuclear weapons seeing as we are all tied down in Iraq gives me hope that the military would in no uncertain terms put its foot down and say, sorry Mr Pres, but no way in the interest of the country and our sworn duty to truly protect the American people and the constitution.
Lenny: Thanks for providing that background information about the deployment. I think Chris Hedges should’ve acknowledged this possibility (that it was a normal rotation) in his piece.
But knowing Bush, Cheney & Rumsfeld & their love for subterfuge, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if when the Eisenhower arrives in the Gulf, Bush announces that the Enterprise strike group will stay as well. That way, he has that much extra firepower available to fight a full theater war (Iran, Iran, Afghanistan) if he wishes.
Yes, if Sy Hersh is to be believed there are people of good conscience in the armed forces who believe that this war plan is sheer lunacy. I’m not at all certain, though, that they have any power to gum up the works & stop this locomotive before it careens out of control on its way to Iran.
Let me let you on a little secret. One the Bush Administration’s cheeks become red over and bladder full. Iran helped the U.S take out Saddam Hussein, and they also helped to invade Afghanistan. I was watching a senate debate for Pennsylvania the other day and one of the candidates said that Haliburton is actually building in various places in Iran.. Hmmm, Dick Chaneys Haliburton building in Iran? The Mega Evil Satanic Country and enemy of the United States… How could this be? In fact, Saddam Hussein said himself in the court he is being put on trial for, that “Iranian Agents played a dirty role in his capture.” Now Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is putting on a publicity stunt, meanwhile his oil company is doing big business with United States Oil Companys ( run by Bush ), and he is closely with Ahmadinejad. There is a decent reason for all this, if Iraqi militias or Taliban militia knew that Iran was together with the U.S they would reave havoc in Iran.. I think Ahmadenijad is one big puppet and he doesnt fool me. I could be wrong, but I really think Iran, U.S are together in this war. And i find it very annoying when they go on Fox News about this ” nuclear iran” trying to scare people, “defying U.N sanctions”. Maybe they think North Korea wouldntve done their testing if another country was thought to be a threat.
I’ve been enjoying your blog immensely, Richard, and this worry over a war with Iran worries me a lot also. But it does seem to me to be the height of silliness to blame our current dismal state on Ralph Nader.
I traveled to hear Nader speak during that election cycle. What he said was that the Democrats were “the lesser of two evils”. Nader proved to be right on that score. If the Dems had bothered to offer any political opposition at all over the past 6 years the Bush Administration would not have been able to take the country to where it is today.
And contrary to popular belief/conventional wisdom, Nader was not “the spoiler” in the 2000 presidential election. Gore did win the election, he failed to defend his win and the Supreme Court awarded the presidency to Bush. There were numerous & egregious infractions of the electoral process at several points along the way. Jimmy Carter, who does work for the UN on overseeing the integrity of elections in emerging 3rd World democracies, is on record as stating that the 2000 US presidential election would not have met with international standards for clean elections.
It’s interesting that some Nader supporters try to make the case, as you do, that he DIDN’T say there was no diff. bet. the parties. Are you maintaining that because you heard him speak once that he never said that on the campaign trail? I avidly read coverage of that election & distinctly remember reading of him saying precisely that. What I do know is that I’ve seen actual quotes online fr. him (don’t have enough time now to dig them up) in which he says there is so little difference bet. Republicans & Democrats as to effectively render them just about the same.
This is a bankrupt position imo.
When you lose Florida & the Presidency by a few thousands votes then there are ever so many ways in which you could’ve won if something had turned out differently. And Nader’s participation was certainly one of many (and a very big one at that) variables that worked against Gore. Nader was most definitely a spoiler & the only people who don’t see it that way are his diehard supporters, the few who are left.
While we both agree that Gore won, if you think there was much more Gore could’ve done than he did not do I think you’re mistaken. Do you really think that at that time the mass of the country would’ve risen up if Gore had tried to organize a mass movement as Obrador is doing (& seemingly failing at) in Mexico? Gore made a calculated decision that mass resistance would not have been an effective tool. If he’d gone the other way I would’ve fought with him. But I don’t think he would’ve won. The Supreme Court or the Republican-controlled House were always going to have final say & we know which way the former decided. So just about anything short of insurrection that Gore could’ve done would prob. have been vitiated by the Supremes.
As as for the wimp Democrats in Congress & their ability to throw a wrench in the works…you’re saying that it didn’t matter that Gore didn’t become president because Democrats somehow could’ve stopped Bush’s policies? How pray tell? With their majorities in both Houses–one House?
I’m just as bitter as you about the Congressional do-nothings on the Dem side. I wish they would do more, oppose & resist more. But fundamentally being in the minority renders you pretty useless in legislative terms.
Did you notice that Kerry folded even quicker than Gore did? In under 24 hours. And he specifically campaigned on that very point, that he would vigorously defend the compromised election process.
The only defence came from 3rd parties. A collaboration of the Greens and Libertarians challenged the flawed Ohio vote in 2004 — and won by the way.
As you can imagine, the reources of the minor parties are almost infinitismally small. To my knowledge there were no other challenges to the 2004 vote, such as in Florida. But to me it is very interesting and inspiring that it really doesn’t take that much to keep the country honest. Only a few good men worked on the Ohio recount, and on a shoestring budget. David Cobb, the Green Party presidential candidate, brought a sleeping bag and camped out on his host’s dining room floor for the duration of the challenge.
The Kerry campaign was a nightmare. Partly because of things Kerry could’ve done but didn’t (rebut the Swift Boat liars) & partly because the country just didn’t get it about Bush & how dismal he was. Perhaps a Bill Clinton could’ve salvaged that election if he were running instead, but I don’t know many other Democratic politicians who could’ve beaten Bush. Maybe I’m wrong about that but that’s the way it seems to me.
I think the entire nation since 9/11 has been in a nightmare fr. which it still hasn’t’ awakened. Nothing is as it should be. People who were formerly semi-cogent have turned into blithering idiots when it comes to politics. Democrats have become soft Republicans; Republicans have become totalitarian monsters. I just can’t account for what’s gone wrong.
I’m always in favor of NGOs & other similar insurgent organizations & the work they can do within societies for good. I just wish those Ohio recounts would’ve turned up a few more ballots for Kerry to turn that election around. But who knows–the way Ohio politics is going these days that state may be in the Blue column come 2008. All we have to do is hold onto the states we won & add a few we didn’t like Ohio.
Kerry is Bush’s cousin, they are family, and they went to the same college fraternity together (skull and bones) at yale university, which to some may seem like nothing, but put 2 and 2 together and you can see that these guys are together. Kerry is part of the Bush administration… So is Gore. Gore didn’t make that movie, a private company did. And they put Al Gore’s face on it because the far left supports Al Gore and Al Gore is a very liked person, plus they know Gore got more votes than bush in 2000 when the election was rigged.. Hurricane Katrina had nothing to do with Global Warming, Not One thing. People always tell me im crazy when I say this, but ive become convinced Hurricane Katrina and RIta was tropical storms that hit the gulf coast, and the Government of Louisiana and Missisippi during this time decided they wanted to rebuild their areas for profiting reasons so they had the levees demolitioned.. Enough about that though, all im really saying is I think Kerry and Gore both had more votes than Bush, but the plan was for Bush to be re-elected. You think in a time of war they gonna let some yuppy from NY who has no ties to the bush admin become president? I guarentee you right now, the next president is going to have very close ties, in 2008, wheather dem or repub. These guys are puppets, just because they pose in a different party doesnt mean they are not working together behind the camera. And Tony Snow is Jon Kerrys twin brother… it looks like… heh
I just wandered onto this site looking for up to the minute information about the naval strike force heading to the Persian Gulf, only to find more in-fighting by Democrats. I come from a Democratic-voting family, have voted for Democrats on all but a very few occasions, and am not afraid to admit to supporting liberalism as defined in c: of my 10th edition of Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
Having said that let me say that I believe Ralph Nader is both correct and incorrect. Ideologically the parties still retain some (but very little) of their traditional core values. Functionally though both parties are almost indistinguishable. If you are of a political bent or entertain political ambitions today you must associate yourself with one or the other major parties. If you can survive local office holding and gradually rise through the local, municipal, and state offices available to you to vie for a seat in the Federal government you are by then a creature of the national party to which you are tied.
You know which side your bread is buttered on, who is doing the buttering, and who holds the purse strings to your campaign effort. And voila! you have the compromised professional politician. As far as I can see today both national parties are just two different strains of the same disease -professional politics. Let us not forget that NAFTA was accomplished during the term of Mr. Democratic Party himself, W.J. Clinton.
During the 2004 election cycle I became an early and determined Dean supporter and traveled 50 miles to attend a Meet-Up in a large midwestern city. I got to rub elbows with the crony Democratic establishment. No-one got the floor that was not pre-selected and vetted. I felt like I was invisible and I left feeling like Bill Murray in Ghostbusters – slimed.
Politics, like music, language, religion, and art is one of those phenomenon that define us as human beings, as social animals. We can’t survive as a society without it, yet as it is practiced today in this country, it fails to provide us with what, by it’s very nature, it is intended to provide – sound representative governance.